3D printers seem to be popping up in schools everywhere. These devices create physical objects directly from digital plans, allowing rapid prototyping of new designs; and tend to be most often associated with STEM/STEAM, college and career readiness classes.

By the end of this year, market analysts believe the worldwide shipment of printers to be approximately 497,000 units- due mostly to demand from K-12 and universities. By 2019, worldwide printer shipments could reach 5.6 million. China is going all in on this educational application too.

We recently installed a 3D printer in our offices and would love to try it out. We are soliciting designs from our reading audience. There is no topic or theme. You can design anything from a toy, to a household device, to a medical device. Amazon gift card prizes will be awarded-ranging from $50 to $250. A $100 gift card goes to the teacher of a winning student.

The contest starts on 10/1/16. All designs must be in our office by November 15, 2016. Send us your email address at info@thomasedison.org and we will send you details about the contest.

Remember: 3D printers are the digital version of what Thomas Edison and his staff were doing with hand tools in their invention factory way back in the 1880s when making quick prototypes of Edison’s newest inventions. So be like Edison. Show us your creativity!

Thomas Edison said … “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

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